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10 Things About 10th Boards That No One Tells You

While everyone is eager to give you advice about 10th boards, there are some points that are commonly skipped over. NTSE Guru brings to you 10 unconventional but important tips for Class 10th that no one tells you about!

1. Group study helps to a limit

Group studies are helpful because when you sit in a group there are bound to be some people that know some concept better than you do. Also isn’t it better to understand a topic from your friend who has already learnt it rather than trying to understand it all by yourself and taking more time. But these things have a tendency to get out of hand and turn into a discussion about everything but studies! Do it too often and most days there will be at least one person who is not in a mood to study taking it upon himself to stop everyone else from studying as well. Best thing to do is keep group studies limited to once in a week.

2. Stick to the real world

Another very important thing is to stay away from groups labeled “Exam Study” on Facebook, Whatsapp and other similar platforms. You know very well that while these groups are created with the purest intentions of sharing notes they just as quickly turn into a chat of asking each other how much they have studied and lamenting about the unfairness of examinations and their existence. These groups will that will pull you in like quicksand and before you know it an hour would have gone by. Worst part, exams would have gone by with it hardly being used for the purpose it was created i.e. notes.

3. Recognize the extend of planning

It is good to plan out time-tables and face examinations in a strategic manner. But if you change your time table every week or spend 1-2 hours most days deciding how you are going to study then that is an issue. Planning is good as long as it does not take a sizable portion out of your studying time. Recognize the important extent of planning and apply the breaks when necessary.

4. More notes does not equal more marks

Don’t become a hoarder of notes and books to the extent that you don’t even know where to study from. This case is especially bad if you can’t even study one of these books or notes in its entirety. Instead, study your NCERT course book properly and for further practice you can refer to notes but be careful to stick to quality study material of one institution. NTSE Guru takes special care towards the quality of its study material and hence has experts like RD Sharma in its content team. Decide your study material in advance and stick to it.

5. Hand-writing matters

Yes, you heard that right. After listening to everyone giving you advice and skipping over this very important factor, let me tell you that hand-writing matters. You and a friend might write the same answer down to a T but if he has better handwriting then most probably will bag more marks as well. It’s not really the fault of the person checking either. If two copies were placed in front of you to be checked, one written in a beautiful and clear handwriting while the other is written in a handwriting that is barely legible, even you will favor the one with good hand-writing. It is a bitter pill to swallow but the truth nonetheless.

6. Solo is the way to go right before the exam

Sitting in a group to study right before the exam is the worst thing that you can do. People keep asking each other doubts and you end up listening to them instead of revising. You end up feeling especially bad in the case that you don’t know the answers. Also, brace yourself for the betrayal because the person answering most of these questions is going to the person who had assured you that he hadn’t studied anything. So do yourself a favor, stay alone and revise what you have learnt or you will end up losing even that as a consequence of trying to chase what you haven’t.

7. Some things need to be by-hearted

The last few years have created a culture where students are shamed by their peers when they learn by rote like Chatur in 3 Idiots. But the truth of the matter is that there are some things that need to be by-hearted. Formulas in physics and maths as well as the dates in history fall in this category. Some students believe in learning the basic formulas and deriving the rest as and when needed but even this strategy consumes unnecessary time on the students part. According to NTSE Guru expert the best way is to learn these by the use of flash cards and keep revising them as much as possible.

8. Wrong time for a series binge

Some students just can’t resist the temptation to stay off series even during their preparation period. But we all know how easy it is to get completely invested in it and then how hard it is to peel yourself away. And innocent wish to watch one episode can easily turn into you compromising your sleep to watch more. So it’s best to stay off series with a strong story line like Game of Thrones, save them for after your exams. If you need to watch a series to relax watch an episode of series like Big Bang Theory, Friends or How I Met Your Mother.

9. Familiarize yourself with the exam center

In most cases, students need to go another school for their X board examinations. Imagine that because it is an unfamiliar venue you get lost or are unable to get there in time. You frantically try to search for the venue and as time passes you get more and more flustered. You eventually get to the venue and are allowed in. As you try to calm yourself and look at the paper you realize that you can’t seem to remember anything. Sounds nightmarish right? Avoid that by travelling to the venue a few days in advance and leaving early for the exam center, specially the day of your first examination. Once you have familiarized yourself with the school and the classroom you can cut yourself some slack.

10. Sleep!

I know it is really tempting to stay up late studying the night before the examination, especially as the tension mounts. But you don’t want to nod off during your examination, especially one as important as 10th boards. It is very important for your brain to get a sufficient level of sleep for it to be able to function to its full capacity. And for all my fellow night owls out there, I know in the days leading up to exam we start staying awake till late in the night and getting up late as well. But this causes our body to associate morning time with sleep. Do you know what else is in the morning? Your exam! Improve your schedule before your exam or you will end up feeling tired in the exam.

Armed with this knowledge you can now head into your upcoming examinations with confidence. All the Best!